Abstract
Abstract
The present study examined whether the environmental attitude of B.Ed.
trainees differs according to the year of study in which they are enrolled. A
descriptive survey design was adopted and data were gathered from 240 trainees
drawn from four colleges of education, of whom 120 were enrolled in the first
year and 120 in the second year of the two-year B.Ed. programme. Environmental
attitude was measured through a 48-item, five-point Likert type Environmental
Attitude Scale constructed for this study, covering environmental awareness,
environmental concern, environmental responsibility and action orientation. The
scale yielded a Cronbach alpha of .938 and a Spearman-Brown corrected
split-half coefficient of .949. Data were analysed through descriptive
statistics, the t test, a 2 x 2 factorial analysis of variance and the
chi-square test. Second-year trainees obtained a significantly higher mean
environmental attitude score (M = 176.81, SD = 16.74) than first-year trainees
(M = 165.70, SD = 18.43), t(238) = 4.887, p < .001, with a medium effect
size of d = 0.63. The difference held across all four dimensions, widest for
environmental responsibility (d = 0.70) and narrowest for action orientation (d
= 0.31). Analysis of variance confirmed independent main effects for year of
study and gender with no interaction, while locality of residence produced no
significant difference.